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Noon and 5 pmBest Western: 1419 W Main St., Battle Ground

Utah/OR/WA: $80.00 or Oregon only: $45shauncurtain.com ~ shauncurtain@gmail.com

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Friday, March 301 pm or 6 pm

Best Western: 121 S. 2nd St., Washougal

Grant A. GehrmannAttorney at Law

Admitted to practice in Washington & Oregon

www.vancouverinjurylaw.com360.253.3667

Healing Happens Here

One day when Vancouver native Jeff Skaaden was changing clothes, something fell out of his sock. “I thought it was a dryer sheet until I got a look at it,” Jeff said. “A whole chunk

of my heel had fallen off.”

As a side effect of diabetes, Jeff suffers from neuropathy, a condition that causes patients to lose feeling in their extremities, so he didn’t realize that a blister on his heel was getting worse and worse. Jonathan J. Dykstra, MD, a physician at PeaceHealth Medical Group and medical director of the Wound Healing Center, diagnosed a half-dollar sized diabetic ulcer and recommended treatment at PeaceHealth Southwest’s Wound Healing Center in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

After about 40 “dives” in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a therapy that uses 100% oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure to stimulate the body’s healing response, Jeff is two-thirds of the way through treatment, healing quickly, and excited about the progress he’s seen with his foot. “I can’t believe people haven’t heard about this treatment,” he said.

swWoundHealing.orgAnotherWay To Heel

Call 360-514-HEAL (4325) or talk to your doctor about a referral to PeaceHealth Southwest’s Wound Healing Center.

Camas-Washougal, WA Post-Record — B3Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Weekday 1Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY B3

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY B3

SCHOOLS

Local girl organizes annual blood drive

BY DANIELLE FROST

Post-Record Staff

Ti� ani Pekkala is serious about her e� orts to secure do-

nors for the American Red Cross Blood Drive.

“I have bribed class-mates to donate with food and movies,” she joked.

The Tuesday, April 24, event at Hayes Freedom High School will be the fourth time Pekkala and her grandmother, Bette-Jo Poser, have organized a community-wide blood drive.

“It makes me happy that so many people donate be-cause it shows they care and are doing it for a good cause,” she said.

Pekkala, 17, has a rare

medical condition called Primary Immunode� cien-cy Disease, or PIDD. It is a group of genetic diseases in which the immune sys-tem’s ability to � ght o� in-fection is compromised or completely absent, which leads to a greater suscepti-bility to infection.

Pekkala receives regu-lar treatments of plasma to help her body � ght o� in-fection, which was the in-spiration to start the blood drive. Last year, she was honored as one of Clark County’s “Real Heroes,” for her e� orts.

“This is such an easy way to help people,” she said. “When I was younger, I spent a lot of time in the hospital and saw who were literally living o� of other people’s donated blood. They needed it, and I knew I could do something to help them and lots of other people.”

Poser said the blood drive is a reunion of sorts.

“It’s a big community get-together and you see people that you haven’t seen since the year be-fore,” she said. “People will give blood, then stay an hour or so to talk. We have the same people come year after year.”

Poser credits the popu-larity of the blood drive to her granddaughter’s ef-forts to spread the word, as well as to the atmo-sphere at the event.

“We give people snacks and juice both before and afterward,” she said. “They visit and have a good time. Ti� ani’s � fth-grade teacher and bus driver both come every year and bring their entire families.”

The blood drive will be held from 2:30 to 8 p.m. at Hayes Freedom High School, 1919 N.E. Ione St.

A way to give back

DANIELLE FROST/POST-RECORD

Tiffani Pekkala, 17, organizes an annual community blood drive. The Hayes Freedom High School junior has a rare genetic disorder that requires regular treatments of plasma to help her body fi ght off infection, and wanted to do something to give back.

It can accommodate up to 68 donors. Advance sign-

up is highly recommend-ed. Those who want to do-

nate should call 772-8971 for an appointment.

SCHOOL NOTES

Camtown poster contest open to local youth

Entries are now being accepted for the 2012 Camtown Youth Festival poster con-test. These must be turned in by Friday, March 30. Camas youth of all ages are eligible to participate in the poster con-test. Winning designs will be used for Camtown promotional � yers, posters, etc. Poster designs must be drawn on white, 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper.

Any art medium may be used. Some el-ements of the festival, such as date, time and location do not need to be included in the design. Students must write their name, school, grade and phone number on the back of the design. Poster designs will not be returned unless requested.

Designs can be dropped o� at the Cam-as Community Center, 1718 S.E. Seventh Ave., or mailed to P.O. Box 1055, Camas, Wash 98607, Attn: CYF Poster Contest. Winners will be announced the week of April 16.

The Camtown Youth Festival is a free, youth-focused event and includes a vari-

ety of games and interactive amusements, arts and crafts activities, entertainment, food, dunk tank, youth art show, a pet-ting zoo, a kids’ � ea and craft market, and kid-related information booths. This year’s event will be held at Crown Park in Camas on Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.For questions, call Krista Bashaw at 834-5307.

Camas boosters present ‘Cinco de Casino’

The Camas Athletic Booster Club is hosting a “Cinco de Casino” games, silent and live auctions at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5.

It will held at Westlie Ford, 115 S.E. First St., Washougal. Admission is $35, or $45 after Tuesday, May 1. Jump-start script and appetizers are included.

Entry into the poker tournament is $30. Pre-registration is required. Entry into the blackjack tournament is $10.

Tickets are available in Camas at The Uncommon Gift, 407 N.E. Fourth Ave., and American Family Insurance, 528

N.E. Fourth Ave., or at Westlie Ford. At-tendees must be 21 years or older.

Proceeds bene� t Camas High School, Skyridge Middle School and Liberty Mid-dle School.

For more information, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu/boosters.

Camas kindergarten orientations coming soon

All soon-to-be kindergarteners and their parents are invited to orientation at their respective schools to meet teachers and sta� , and learn about the kindergar-ten curriculum. Those who are unsure which Camas school their child will at-tend should call the transportation de-partment at 833-5585.

Parents should register their students by contacting district registrar Shanna Nielson via e-mail at Shanna.Nielson@camas.wednet.edu or 833-5410 to sched-ule a registration appointment. Addition-ally, registration packets will be accepted at kindergarten orientation.

Registration packets and requirements

for entrance are available on the district website, www.camas.wednet.edu.

Camas student registration open

Student registration is now open for the Camas School District 2012-13 school year. Those interested in registering their students for preschool through 12th grade are encouraged to contact Shanna Niel-son, district registrar, at Shanna.Niel-son@camas.wednet.edu or call 833-5410.

Washougal Childfi nd screening is March 28

There will be a free Child� nd screen-ing for children ages birth to 5 years old at Hathaway Elementary, 630 24th St. It will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednes-day, March 28. To make an apppointment, call 896-9912 for children ages birth to 3 years, and 954-3020 for children ages 3 to 5.